In board sports, such as surfing, and body-boarding, participants must propel themselves from the shore, out past the breakers, before riding the waves back to shore. This can be both difficult and tiring. There are other water sports, such as snorkelling or diving where, again, a participant requires to propel themselves.
A user might propel themselves with a paddle, for example as in the sport of kayaking. However, a paddle will then interfere with their ability to use their arms and hands. The invention relates to an improved device to enable water sports participants to propel themselves through water, while limiting the restriction on their ability to later make other use of their arms, for example while balancing on a water sports board.
In UK application 1306152.8 I have proposed a water sports board, the board having a front half and a rear half, and comprising a first foot rest, a second foot rest, a first arm support and a second arm support; the first foot rest and second foot rest slidably mounted on the rear half of the board, and the first arm support and the second arm support slidably mounted on the front half of the board; wherein the first foot rest is coupled to the first arm support and the second foot rest is coupled to the second arm support such that movement of one foot rest produces a movement of the respective arm support. Said water sports board is useful to enable a user to more readily propel themselves to the correct place to catch waves.
Some embodiments of the present invention are suitable for use with a water sports board of that type. However, the invention is not limited to devices suitable for use with a water sports board of that type.